


Wife of Mischief (part 2)

by Cactilda



Series: Wife of Mischief [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-01 12:54:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17867645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cactilda/pseuds/Cactilda
Summary: Wife of Mischief, a title you never really imagined yourself holding! You weren't complaining however, your husband, Loki, loved you more than anything. He seemed to have loved you from the start! Since the day he had nearly killed you, to the day he died you were the love of his life.This takes place throughout the mcu movies starting with the Avengers and takes place in your POV.





	1. 1

It had been a few weeks since the attack on New York, and the city was doing surprisingly well considering it had been nearly entirely demolished!  (B/f/n) and I were extremely relieved when we found out the other was okay, and our reunion was rather emotional.   Our apartment buildings had been utterly destroyed by the invasion, so we had gathered the few belongings that had survived and moved in with Tony.  Tony offered the others a room in the tower to stay in case the world needed them again, but all declined except for Dr. Banner.  Steve enjoyed having his privacy and joked that if he stayed with Tony too long, they might kill each other, so he moved into an apartment down in DC.  While he didn't visit often, he did come to visit during holidays and birthdays.  Natasha eventually moved to DC as well since SHIELD headquarters was down there and Director Fury wanted her to work nearby.  Clint said he already had a place to stay and wouldn't trade it for the world.  Of course, Thor lived on Asgard too, so it was a definite no from him.

On the topic of Thor, it had been a few days since he and Loki had left, and I had to admit that their silence was beginning to worry me.  Loki had promised that Thor would get me so that I'd be there for his sentencing, but I worried if Odin had forbidden that.  It wouldn't be much of a surprise though.  Apparently Odin didn't care for mortals, and he forbid any of us on Asgard.  I had heard that Thor had a girlfriend in New Mexico though, so I wondered how Odin felt about her, and how he felt about me.  Had Thor told him about me?  Likely, if he had, Odin disliked me since I had feelings for Loki.  I worried about Loki day and night too.  Was he okay?  Had he already been sentenced?  Hopefully if Odin had forbidden Thor from getting me, he would at least allow him to come and tell me what had become of him.  Odin surely wasn't  _that_ heartless, right?

I guess all I could do was wait and see.  Which is exactly what I did.  (B/f/n) and I were beyond thankful when Tony had let us move in with him, he had even helped us gather our things!  Granted, our belongings were scarce since the apartment buildings was closer to a pile of rocks than a building, but the gesture was greatly appreciated!  Pepper had helped me with painting and getting furniture for my room, since all of my furniture was completely destroyed.  We painted my door (f/c) so that I knew which one was mine, and Tony had jokingly asked me to not kick a hole in it.  (B/f/n) had asked what he meant by that and I turned bright red when Tony told him that I had busted through my door to try to stop Loki from destroying all of New York.  I got quite the lecture after that

Dr. Banner and I had become pretty close as well, and he had even begun teaching me how to use a few of his creations or how to make certain little trinkets.  I never wanted to learn anything too big, as the dude had seven PHDs so they were likely much too complex and advanced for me to understand without getting overwhelmed.  He was a little disappointed when I told him this, but agreed to keep teaching me how to make smaller things.  Now I had a small solar panel robot that resembled the Mars rover, Opportunity!  She mainly stayed on my desk, which I had moved to my window so that she could get as much sun as possible, and drove around happily beeping.

Even though I had plenty of distractions now, I still worried about Loki.  I couldn't help it!  Tony would occasionally tease me about my crush and how worried I was, but he knew it was serious so he usually kept it on the down low.  Now anytime someone needed me, they would usually find me hunched over the kitchen counter with a distressed look on my face and a cup of stress relief tea in my hands.  It used to be an amusing sight, but now it was a daily occurrence.  If Pepper found me like that, she would always begin a mock therapy session.  If Tony found me, he'd poor me a glass of scotch or whiskey and tell me that alcohol works better than my tea.  If Dr. Banner or (b/f/n) found me, they'd ask me what was wrong which was always the same thing, and then offer me some comfort.  I was thankful that they cared about me, but that didn't stop me from worrying, so I tried to find as many distractions as possible.

Now I was in my room playing with my mini Opportunity and reading (f/b).  There was a knock on my door and I spun around in my desk chair,  pushing a little too hard and spinning too much.  I turned myself back around and saw Tony standing in my doorway.

"Hey Boss!  What's up?"

"You know you don't have to call me that, right?" he smiled, cocking one eyebrow.

"Yeah, I just like calling you that," I replied, "Anyway, how can I help you?"

"Oh, right, Point-break's here for you."

"Who?"

Tony stepped aside and Thor walked in, and I leapt up from my seat.  "Thor!  You're back!  How are you?  How's Loki?  Is he okay?"

"Slow down Lady (y/n).  I assure you, I will answer all of your questions in due time, but right now I need to speak with you," he looked back at Tony, "in private."  Tony nodded and closed the door behind him.  Thor turned back to me and his initially cheerful look became dark and concerned.

"Thor what's going on?" I asked, my voice heavy with worry.

"Loki's trial is today, and he has requested that you are present.  I spoke to my father about it, and while he was extremely hesitant to allow you to come, my mother managed to convince him to make an exception for you as long as either I or a guard is with you at all times."

I hugged him tightly and thanked him for coming to get me.  I felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders as I was handed the news that I would be able to see Loki again!  

"(Y/n) you must understand that you will likely despise his punishment.  While Loki is royalty, he and our father have never gotten along so his sentence will likely be quite harsh.  You cannot, under any circumstance, protest against my father for I don't know how he will react.  I told him that you and Loki were very close and I could tell he didn't trust you."

I was quiet for a minute to let all of this sink in.  Odin probably didn't like me, so no speaking against him, got it.  There would constantly be a guard following me around too, so very little privacy.

"Alright," I said after a few minutes, "When do we leave?"


	2. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is going to have A LOT of dialogue

I packed a bag of clothes quickly and met Thor out in the hall. Together, we went up to the still-under-renovation bar room, where Tony bid us fare well. We walked out onto the landing and Thor looked up at the sky. "Heimdall, whenever you're ready!" he shouted. His arm held onto me tightly and there was a loud boom as we became surrounded by a bright array of colors. The feeling of plummeting down filled my stomach and I stifled a scream of surprise. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, the feeling disappeared and we walked into a small, dome shaped room. A tall, regal looking man in golden armor stood on a small platform in the center of the room, his sword sheathed in a small tube-like machine in front of him. His golden eyes searched me intensely, and I felt vulnerable under his gaze, as if he could see all of my flaws.

"So this is the midguardian that has tamed your brother! She's a good one."

"The one and only! (Y/n), meet Heimdall, keeper of the Bifrost and guardian of the nine realms."

"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you!" I smiled shyly. I could practically see the power radiating from him!

"The pleasure is all mine!" he said kindly, "Thor, Vanaheim is in need of your assistance. Sif and the Warriors Three are already there, but even they struggle to keep the enemies at bay."

"Thank you for letting me know Heimdall. Could you send for a guard? I'm afraid that my father doesn't trust Lady (y/n) to be by herself."

"There is no need, my prince. There is one waiting just outside for her with an extra horse."

"Thank you very much old friend!" He turned to leave but I caught his wrist.

"You're leaving already?" I said, a slight bit of panic in my voice.

"Lady (y/n) you're in wonderful hands! Heimdall can see and hear everything, and your guard is highly trained and if anything is to go wrong, he will keep you safe." I frowned a bit, but let him go. He smiled at me and pulled me into a hug, then turned towards the place we came through and disappeared. "Lady (y/n)," Heimdall's deep voice startled me, "your guard awaits you!" I looked at the entrance to see a royal guard standing just outside, the reigns of two gorgeous horses in his hands. I gulped and joined him outside. He didn't smile when I greeted him, but he didn't seem upset to see me either. He seemed....wary. He helped me onto my horse then climbed onto his own, and we were off. We rode in silence for a while, and I kept stealing glances at him to try to read his expression, which was still tense and mistrusting. I sighed, realizing that Odin must have told him that since Loki and I were close, I was not to be trusted.

"You know, just because Prince Loki and I are friends doesn't mean I'm a bad person," I finally said, unable to bear the uncomfortable silence. The guard looked at me a bit shocked, then turned his attention back to the road ahead of us. "I know," he replied quietly.

"Do you?"

"Prince Loki doesn't have the best reputation here. The Allfather told me to be careful around you, since you and the prince are close you may not be entirely trustworthy."

"I suppose you have a point." The guard instantly tensed up more when I said that, and I frowned. "Calm down, I'm not going to do anything. If anything I'm more scared right now than you are.  The only reason I'm here is because this may be the last time I see the man I love, and his father doesn't even like me!"

The guard looked at me with pity but stayed quiet.  Nothing else was said for the rest of our ride, and after an unbearably long time we finally reached the palace.  My heart beat spiked as we stopped our horses and the guard helped me down.  This was it, I was going to see Loki in his trial.  I had to keep quiet through the entire session, and no speaking out against Odin.  That would get me in terrible trouble.

The guard led me through the doors and into a large throne room, where I instantly recognized Odin.  Anger bubbled inside me, but I kept myself calm and collected.  The guard got down on one knee and crossed his arms on his chest in front of the Allfather, and I followed suit.  He stood back up, and I copied him again.

"Allfather, the criminal Loki's colleague, Lady (y/n) is here to witness his sentencing."

Odin nodded and the guard directed me to stand by a very familiar looking woman by the throne.  She smiled warmly at me when I took my spot beside her, and I tried my best to return the gesture, but my nerves wouldn't allow for it.  Upon closer inspection, I recognized her as Queen Frigga, the woman in one of Loki's memories!

"You're Queen Frigga!" I blurted out.  She nodded again and confirmed my realization.  My eyes widened and I bowed deeply.

"My apologies my queen, I didn't recognize you for a moment."

"Please, my dear, there is no need for that," she helped me back up and pulled me into a warm hug, "Thank you for treating my son so kindly, he's told me so much about you!"

"Oh!  You're welcome!"

"Allfather, the war criminal Prince Loki is here for his trial!"

My eyes widened and Frigga and I broke our hug as Loki entered the large room.  My heart dropped when I saw him, he had an all to familiar smug look on his face, but I could see he was terrified.  Oh how it broke my heart.  He stopped in front of us and looked at Queen Frigga.  "Loki," she said sadly

"Hello mother," he said, "Have I made you proud?"

"Please, don't make this worse."

"Define worse," he frowned, then he noticed me standing a little behind her and his eyes widened, "(Y/n), you came!"

"Of course I did," I smiled and tried to keep my voice as even as possible.  He swallowed hard and I noticed his eyes glisten slightly with tears.

"Enough," Odin interrupted, "I will speak to the prisoner alone."

Frigga and I turned to leave, though it broke my heart.  I looked back at Loki to see him watching us leave, a pleading look etched on his face.  I bit my lip to keep from crying, and hurried after Frigga.  She stopped me by the door though, and held my shoulders gently.  "Do you truly love my son?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"Yes, of course!"

"Good," she said something quietly then gently pushed me back towards where we were standing a few seconds ago.  I looked at her, confused and she said, "I've made you invisible.  No one can see you except for me, so I need you to watch and tell me that he's alright."

"But-"

"Just go!"

I took a deep breath in and walked back to stand by Loki, being sure not to alert him of my presence.  He took a few steps up to the throne, then laughed sarcastically, "I really don't see what all the fuss is about!"

 _Liar,_ I thought, knowing fully well that I may reveal myself to him.

"Do you truly not feel the gravity of your crimes?"

_Why are you still here (y/n)?_

"Wherever you go there is war, ruin, and death."

_Please spare yourself the pain and stay with Frigga.  You need to forget about me (y/n)._

"I went down to Midguard to rule the people of Earth as a benevolent god, just like you."

 _No, I will not let you suffer for something you had no control over.  At least not alone._ I gently held his hand and he jumped, but only a little.

"We are not gods.  We are born, we live, we die.  Just as humans do."

"Give or take five thousand years."  I pinched him. 

"All this because Loki desires a throne."

"It is my birthright!"

"YOUR BIRTHRIGHT," Odin shouted, putting too much emphasis on the t, "WAS TO DIE!"

I nearly lost control of my anger right then, but Loki managed to stop me before I did anything stupid.   _Don't, (y/n), you'll only make this worse for the both of us._   Even in my head his voice sounded tight.

"As a child cast out onto a frozen rock."

Loki blinked back tears and gripped my hand tighter for support.

"If I had not taken you in, you would not be here now to hate me!"

"If I'm for the axe then for mercy's sake just swing it.  It's not that I don't love our little talks, it's just,"

_Loki, choose your words carefully._

"...I don't love them."

"Frigga and that girl that claims to love you so much are the only reasons you're still alive, and you will never see them again."

I froze in terror.

"You will spend the rest of your days in the dungeons."

The guards began pulling him away, but before I could follow him, Loki stopped me.   _Don't, my dear.  Please just go back to Frigga._

_No, I want to stay with you!_

_STAY!.....Please just....stay._

He blinked back tears feverishly as his eyes flicked unseeingly from where he thought I was, to Odin, "And what of Thor?  You'll make that witless oaf king while I rot in chains?"

"Thor must strive to undo the damage you have done.  He will bring order to the nine realms and then yes...He will be king."

The guards began dragging Loki away and it took every fiber of my being not to cry out or follow him.  I silently cried as I watched him go, and just as I turned to leave, I heard Odin call out, "Young lady, stop."

I froze.  Had he seen me?  Had the spell wore off faster than I had anticipated?  I walked back over to him and bowed like I had earlier, just more stiff this time.  "You stayed when I told you to leave.  You disobeyed a direct order from the king."

"So you did see me?"

"No," he said, "I saw Loki looking at you quite a few times.  I still cannot see you, but I can sense your presence now.  Now, why did you disobey me?"

"Because I care for your son.  I know you may not, but I do.  I needed to be sure that he would be alright."

"My wife sent you as well, didn't she?"

"Yes."  I swallowed hard.  He must have heard the tightness in my voice, as he looked sad for a moment, then dismissed me, and I ran off.

 


	3. 3

The spell had worn off by the time I found Queen Frigga again, and the moment she saw me she knew I bore no good news. Tears were streaming down my face as I walked past her to the gardens and she rushed after me. "(Y/n), wait! What happened?"

"He was going to be killed!" I cried, turning to face her, "We are the only reasons he wasn't. Oh my queen he could have been dead by now and I wouldn't be able to save him!" She looked at me with shock and I buried my face in my hands to try to hide just how upset I was. I felt her arms wrap around me in a comforting embrace, and she rubbed circles on my back to help calm me down. We stayed like that until I had calmed down enough to talk sensibly, then she asked me what his sentence was.

"He is to be chained in the dungeons until he dies. Neither of us are permitted to see him for the rest of his life!"

"What?" tears were streaming down Frigga's cheeks now as well. Neither of us had been given the chance to say goodbye to him properly, and now we would never see him again! Thor came back later that day and found me still in the garden wondering what I would do now that I was forbidden to see Loki. My eyes were still red and puffy when he found me, and I still sniffed occasionally. He sat next to me and was silent for minute, just watching me twist grass between my fingers.

"I take it his trial didn't end well?" he said after a few minutes. I shook my head no and pulled a few blades out of the ground, sniffing again.

"What happened?"

"He's to be locked up in the dungeon. Queen Frigga and I aren't allowed to see him for the rest of his life," I said sullenly, turning to face him, "I never got to say goodbye to him, or tell him how much I care for him. Neither did Frigga." Thor looked at me with pity and I avoided his gaze. I hated when people looked at me like that. "While I know my father doesn't want you seeing him, I could take you down there and tell the guard to stay quiet about it," he said after a few seconds of silence. I looked back up at him.

"Really?"

"Yes, I see how much you care for him and I know he cares about you too.  I'm sure I can get you down there just this once!" I yanked him into a bear hug and thanked him profusely.  He chuckled and hugged me back, and told me that we should leave soon to see him.  Instantly I jumped to my feet and followed Thor out of the gardens.  He lead me through the palace to the dungeons, and the more we walked the more I felt as if we were walking through a maze!  There were so many twists and turns, and there were guards around every corner!  Finally we reached a pair of large, heavy duty doors under heavy watch.  Heavily armed soldiers stood around it, and they raised their weapons when they saw me.  I raised my hands instantly, showing them that I meant no harm.

"She's with me," Thor said.

"Why have you come, Prince Thor?"

"We wish to see the war criminal, Loki."

Hearing the name Loki was being referred to now left a sour taste in my mouth.

"No one is permitted to see him.  Especially not her," the guard pointed a spear at me and I backed up.

"I'm sure you can make an exception this one time, Arvid.  This is likely the last time she will ever see him in her lifetime."

"She is mortal?"

"Yes."

The guard, Avrid, seemed to consider it for a moment, then lowered his weapon and stepped aside.  The others moved as well, following suit.  I smiled gratefully at them, and followed Thor through the large doors, and down the dark staircase.  

"Ignore the other prisoners.  They will try to startle you, scare you, and intimidate you, but they cannot lay a hand on you.  Their cells are extremely secure so you have nothing to fear," Thor warned as we walked in the darkness.  I took in a deep breath as the shouts and hollers of the other prisoners grew louder as we continued our descent.  The dungeons were much cleaner than I had originally believed, but that didn't distract me from the overwhelming amount of threats and curses being shouted at us and the guards patrolling the cells.  One guard led us to Loki's cell reluctantly, and refused to leave when we arrived.  Loki stood in the center of his well furnished cell with his back facing us.  His royal robes had been switched to a simple green long sleeve shirt, a leather vest, and a pair of loose fitting pants.  The guard unlocked the barrier keeping him in, and I walked inside, slightly tensing up as the barrier closed again.

"Loki?" I said quietly, afraid that I might upset him more.

"Why are you here, (y/n)?" he asked, just barely above a whisper.  I could hear the tightness in his voice.

"I had to come see you.  I know that your father-"

"He's not my father."

"Okay...I know that Odin had said neither I nor Queen Frigga could come to see you, but I had to before I left.  This will be the last time we see each other so I had to say goodbye properly."

Silence.  He still refused to look at me.

"Loki, please, I know you're upset, but just look at me!  Please."  Slowly, he turned around to face me.  I could see his eyes shine with tears in the dim light even though he refused to meet my gaze, his posture was stiff and unmoving, and his jaw kept clenching and unclenching.  Slowly, I reached my hands out to hug him, but hesitated, as if afraid I would make him feel worse.  However, he quickly grabbed them and pulled me into a tight hug.  His fingers tangled themselves in my (h/l) (h/c) hair and he buried his face in the crook of my neck.  He sniffed and croaked out an apology.  I wrapped my arms around his back and rubbed comforting circles on his back. 

"Hey, hey it's okay!  I'm here now, and I don't have to leave immediately."

"I don't want you to leave at all."

I smiled weakly and sniffed a bit at that, then pecked his jaw, "I wish I could stay here forever with you.  I don't want to leave."

"Then don't!"

"You know I can't do that."

He looked at me sadly and I cupped his cheek.  At first he tensed, but then quickly melted into my touch and gently kissed the palm of my hand

"I need to tell you something before I leave."

"And what would that be, my dear?"

My heart fluttered a bit at the pet name.

"Loki, I love you-mm!"

Before I could finish what I was saying, Loki had crashed his lips into mine!  My eyes were wide for a moment, but then they closed and I melted into the kiss.  Blood rushed to my cheeks and ears as I turned a lovely shade of red.  We broke apart after a few seconds and Loki gazed at me through half lidded eyes.

"Okay, glad to know you feel the same way," I sputtered, only becoming redder, then kissed him again.


	4. 4

That night, Thor had convinced me to stay a few more days on Asgard with him. Of course, I would't be able to see Loki anymore, but I found out that Frigga had the ability to pay visits to him without anyone seeing her, so I would be able to ask her how he was doing whenever she did see him. He was never well, per se, but he was never doing terribly either. I suppose there's only so well you can be doing when you're locked up in a cell and the people you care about most aren't even allowed to see you. So, in order to distract me from my worries, Thor introduced me to his friends!

They were an exciting group and went by the name of Sif and the Warriors Three! Sif was a beautiful woman with a feisty attitude, and while she didn't trust me at first, she and I quickly became friends. She had even begun training me a little bit! Volstagg, one of the warriors, was a large man with fiery red hair and a large beard. His love for food was rather impressive, and I took a great liking to him. The third warrior I met was Hogun. He was quiet and collected, and observed people more than interacted with them. He was always very polite though, and a good break from the others. Then there was Fandral. I enjoyed his company, I really did, but the flirting was non stop! At first it was flattering, but after a while it became rather annoying. I never knew I could find flirting as agitating as I did, but Fandral taught me otherwise.

Despite all of the distractions my new friends provided me with though, I found myself thinking about Loki often, and my normally cheerful attitude would become solemn.  However, I tried my best to remain happy and spend time with the others and explore a bit, it wasn't every day you got to visit Asgard after all!  On the last day of my visit, Thor came to me and told me he had to leave for an urgent matter, leaving me alone at the castle.  Of course, I had a guard that would follow me around and make sure I didn't get into any trouble, but that's all he did.  We never spoke more than a few words to each other.

Around noon, I went to the royal gardens and waited for Thor's return.  The others were out helping the other realms that may be in trouble, and keeping peace, so I had no one to keep me company, until Queen Frigga joined me.

"Hello Lady (y/n)," she greeted me as she strode elegantly into the garden.  My guard bowed deeply and she nodded her head at him politely.

"Good afternoon my queen!  Are you sure it's not necessary for me to bow?" I asked, standing up off the ground to face her properly.

"Of course!  You're practically family now!"

"O-oh!"  I blushed a bit at the statement.  Did she really consider me family?  Frigga knelt down on the grass beside me and I joined her, twiddling some grass in between my fingers.

"How is he?" I asked after a few minutes.

"Better I suppose.  He talks about you often," she replied, knowing exactly who I was talking about.  There was a tightness in her voice though, one that wasn't there in our previous discussions about Loki.

"If you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you said hello to me for him the next time you pay him a visit."

"I'd be happy to!"

I smiled gratefully at her and turned back to face the Bifrost.  The first day of my arrival, I had recognized it from one of the memories Loki had shown me.  Although it was being destroyed when I had seen it.  Now it stood beautiful and intact at the end of the large colorful bridge, facing the large open space outside.

"Why did Loki want to destroy the Bifrost?" I asked after a few seconds of silence.

"How do you know about that?"

"When I was assigned to be Loki's interrogator back on Earth, he and I had bonded very quickly and one night he showed me his memories.  I had originally thought they were just odd dreams, since he hadn't told me about them, but I quickly found out they weren't."

"Did you tell anyone else about them?"

"No, I knew my coworkers would use them against him and I didn't want that."

"You're very kind for doing that.  He was hurt when he found out he was a Jotun.  He though he had been betrayed, both by Odin and his real father, Laufey.  I assume he decided that all of the frost giants had betrayed him that way, so he sought to end their kind, but Thor destroyed the Bifrost before he completely obliterated their world."

"I see."

There was probably much more to that story that no one, not even Frigga knew, so I ended it there.  It was clearly a sensitive subject for Frigga too, as I could see the sadness in her eyes of believing her son had died that day.  

"It must have been a relief for you when you found out you hadn't lost him," I blurted suddenly.

 "Yes, it was.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to rejoice for long, as he is now considered a criminal."

I was about to respond when a loud boom came from the Bifrost!

"Ah, that would be Thor returning from his urgent matter," Frigga chuckled, and we headed inside to await his return.  He didn't come straight back to the palace like we had expected, but instead went to the infirmary.

"What?  Is he okay?" I asked the guard that had informed us.  He eyed me a little suspiciously but answered that he was completely healthy, but that there was something wrong with his companion, she had somehow managed to harbor a dangerous force.  Companion?  Who was his companion?  And what was this dangerous force? When I asked, the guard told me she was a woman named Jane Foster.  She harbored an ancient and dangerous force called the Aether.  I recognized her name, she was the woman Thor loved!  He had told me about her one day while we were eating, she was the one who had helped him return to Asgard the day Loki...well...died.

A while later, while walking around the palace walls, we found them seated on a bench talking about the alignment of the realms, a story I had heard of, but never really knew much about. 

"My father doesn't know everything," Thor said, earning a chuckle from Frigga as we approached them.

"Don't let him hear you say that!" she laughed.  They turned to face us, surprised by our seemingly sudden appearance.  Thor smiled at us and introduced us to his girlfriend.

"Jane Foster, please meet Frigga, Queen of Asgard.  My mother."  Jane's eyes widened and she took a few steps away from Thor, as if embarrassed to be caught with him so intimately.

"And this," he said gesturing to me, "is (y/n), Loki's lover!"  Her eyes widened more as she looked from Thor to me.  Thor seemed blissfully unaware of the meaning of the name he had called me, so I cleared it up before too many assumptions were made.

"Uh, he and I aren't at that point of our relationship," I chuckled awkwardly.  Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Frigga smirking at me, and my cheeks heated up.

"You're dating Loki?  The guy that nearly destroyed all of New York?"

"Yes, that does seem to be what he's known for these days," I said, a little bit peeved that that's all people knew him as, but I brushed it off.  I could tell Jane didn't entirely trust me but I ignored it.

"Sorry," she said, seeming to sense my frustration, but there was a bit of curiosity in her eyes, "You don't sound or look like you're from Asgard."

"I'm not, I'm from Earth as well."

"Oh!  How'd you meet Loki then?"  I was about to answer when a siren went off, making all of us jump.  Thor's and Frigga's eyes widened and their faces paled, and I instantly knew something was wrong.

"The prison," Thor said, his voice heavy with dread.

"Loki," I realized that if something were going on in the prison, Loki might get hurt!  He had been stripped of nearly all of his powers, so he was defenseless.


	5. 5

"Go, we'll look after her," Frigga said. Thor shot her a look of uncertainty, but quickly ran off, Mjolnir in hand. Once he was gone, Frigga dragged us off back to the palace. There, she stopped Odin who was leading a group of guards and giving orders to their commander. "Odin," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder to get his attention. Odin dismissed the commander and his guards, then turned to his wife.

"It's just a skirmish, nothing to fear!" he said, a fake smile playing on his face.

"You've never been a very good liar," she said knowingly.

"Take them to your chambers. I'll come for you when it's safe."

"Take care!"

Odin cupped Frigga's cheek and said, "Despite all I have survived, my Queen still worries for me."

"It's only because I worry over you that you have survived." Frigga wished her husband luck and began walking away briskly with me and Jane following close behind. As she passed a pair of soldiers, she took the swords from their scabbards and hissed at us once they were out of earshot, "Listen to me now. I want you to do everything I ask-no questions!" Jane and I agreed and we followed her to her chambers. Once there, Frigga explained her plan to us. "Jane, the power that you're currently harboring, the prisoners escape was only a distraction. A terrible creature is after the power you currently have, and no matter what he cannot have it. I need you to run and hide around the corner. (Y/n), you are skilled enough with a sword, Sif has taught you well and you learned quickly. You and I are going to protect Jane, do you understand?"

"Yes my Queen."

"Brave girl. I will create an illusion of Jane to distract Malekith, the creature after her. If he comes in here, show no mercy. He seeks to bring eternal darkness to the nine realms. Jane, go! (Y/n), here." Frigga handed me one of the swords and we faced the entrance of the room while Jane went to find somewhere to hide. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears as we waited, and my hands shook. "You're afraid," Frigga stated after watching my hands and knees quake for a few seconds.

"Yes well, fighting other worldly beings  _on_ another world with the very likely chance of dying isn't really a comfort for me."

"You're a brave girl.  You won't die, I'm certain of that."

"If you insist," I muttered under my breath.

A few minutes later, a pale looking man entered the room, and glared at us.  He was tall, with white skin and white hair.  His ears were pointed and his eyes were black.  Shivers ran down my spine as I made eye contact with him, and I knew immediately to be afraid of him.  The illusion Jane that stood behind us had a terrified look on her face, and the man stared at her.  Frigga placed herself in front of the fake Jane, blocking his view of her.

"Stand down creature, and you may still survive this," she threatened.

"I have survived worse, woman."

"Who are you?" I asked, not allowing myself to sound afraid.  Now was not the time to be a coward.

"I am Malekith, midguardian, and I would have what is mine."

Malekith began walking towards us, and the illusion scuttled back in fear.  As he drew closer, Frigga struck him across the face with her sword.  He stopped and glared at the both of us, then withdrew his own sword, and charged.  Adrenaline kicked in and I blocked his first strike from hitting Frigga with my sword, but earned myself a slice in my arm.  It wasn't deep, but it stung like hell!  He and I fought for a bit until I fell, and Frigga saved me from getting skewered.  She was a strong fighter, and managed to not only disarm him, but pin him to the floor as well, her sword aimed at his throat.  Before we could celebrate though, a huge, hulking creature came in, and saw Malekith under Frigga's sword.  It began approaching them to help Malekith, but I swung my sword at it before he could reach them.  Obviously, I had made a grave mistake, as it simply broke the blade and tossed it aside.  My eyes grew wide as I stared at my broken weapon, and felt a large hand curl around my neck.

I clawed feverishly at the creature's hand, and sputtered as it lifted me up and off my feet.  It's attention was still on Frigga and Malekith though, and I had just enough room to breathe to warn her.

"FRIGGA!" I cried out, hoping my strangled yelp was enough to warn her.  The creature tossed me aside and began advancing on her.  She began turning around, but it was too late.  The creature easily disarmed her and lifted her off her feet as well, pressing her sword against her back.  Gasping for breath, I reached for my broken sword, but Malekith had spotted me and kicked the weapon away and stomped on my hand.  I let out a strangled cry of pain and pulled my hand to my chest.  After he deemed me harmless, he turned his attention back to the illusion.

"You have something of mine child, give it back."  He reached out to grab her, but she dissolved at his touch.  Infuriated that he had been tricked, he whirled around to face Frigga and I.

"WITCH!" he screamed, "Where is the Aether?!"

"I'll never tell," Frigga growled.  

"I believe you," he grinned evilly.  My eyes widened and I turned just in time to see Frigga's sword slide through her torso.

"FRIGGA!" I screamed, leaping to my feet to catch her as the horrible creature tossed her aside.  I heard Thor let out an anguished cry as he burst in  and shot a bolt of lightning at Malekith, striking the side of his face.  The creature grabbed Malekith and helped him to his feet, then they jumped off the balcony.  Thor threw his hammer at them, but they had already landed on a hidden escape ship and began flying away.  Odin ran in a few seconds later, and stared for a moment at me while I cradled his wife's form in my arms.  Tears of shock and grief streamed down my cheeks as I stared down at her pale face, unable to comprehend the fact that I had just let her die.  Odin ran over to me and gently took Frigga from my arms and held her close to him.  I curled into myself as her weight was lifted off me, and I felt sick.  Jane ran in soon after, and stared in shock at the scene before her.  The rest of the day was a blur.  I couldn't focus on anything.  At some point I had bathed and changed out of my shirt that was now stained forever with Frigga's blood.  I stared at the shirt for who knows how long, trying to understand what had happened.  Everything felt so surreal, like I was in some sick dream.  The next day was her funeral, and I woke up with a sudden understanding of what happened.  I felt numb and cold despite the warm climate, and I wondered how Loki was doing.

I desperately wanted to see him, but now the guards were even less willing to let me see him.  They believed it was my fault she had died, and I guess in a way it was.  I said nothing about it to Thor though, he already had enough on his plate.  Now two guards followed me everywhere I went, and I tried to ignore their presence as much as I could.  After dinner, a servant came to inform me that I was not to attend the funeral later that night, and I nearly broke down.  I asked if Loki was going to, and the servant shook his head.  When he left, I screamed in frustration, startling both of my guards.  Loki had loved Queen Frigga more than anything, why was he not allowed to be there for her funeral?!  When it was time for the memorial to start, I sat out on my balcony and watched as millions of lights floated above the kingdom.  Flaming arrows were shot at the boat that held the alter Frigga lay on, and I watched as it caught on fire and eventually fell over the side of the land.

Apparently Jane was in a similar situation as me, as she was being held prisoner in her own room.  Odin apparently did not trust her to be out since she could attract the attention of terrible creatures.  Thor was infuriated by this when he found out about both of our predicaments, and dragged me down with him to speak with his father.  I learned then that 'speaking' for my friend meant shouting protests at deafening volumes.

"So they're your prisoners now?" he growled as he and I approached Odin.  Odin glared up at us, and dismissed the soldiers he was making plans with, one of them being Fandral.  He winked at me when he passed, and I resist the urge to pluck a few hairs from his mustache just to get him to stop.  When everyone had left, Odin walks over to us and says, "I do not wish to fight with you."

"Nor I with you, but I intend to pursue Malekith!"

"We possess the Aether.  Malekith will come to us."

"Yes and destroy us!" I replied, my voice a little louder than I had intended.  Odin shot me a deadly glare, but I didn't scare away.

"You overestimate these creatures," he hissed.

"No, we value our people's lives!" Thor interrupted, "We will take Jane to the Dark World and draw the enemy away from Asgard.  When Malekith pulls the Aether from Jane, it will be exposed and vulnerable!  And I will destroy it and him."

Odin turned to face us, and his expression clearly expressed that he thought we were foolish children, "If you fail, you risk this weapon falling into the hands of our enemies."

"The risk is far greater if we do nothing," I stated, earning another glare from Odin.

"His ship could be over our heads right now and we would never even know it!" Thor added.

"If and when he comes, his men will fall on ten thousand Asgardian blades."

"And how many of our men shall fall on theirs?!"

"AS MANY AS ARE NEEDED!" Odin shouted, causing both me and Thor to jump.  We stared at him in shock.  Odin grunted in pain a bit and Thor looked at him with concern.

"We will fight," his father continued, "Till the last Asgardian breath.  Till the last drop of Asgardian blood."

Thor shook his head sadly and said quietly, "Then how are you different from Malekith?"  Odin laughed sarcastically glared at the two of us as if we were ignorant children.

"The difference, my son, is that I will win!"  And with that he turned and walked off.  I was seething as I watched him go, and I could tell Thor was too.  There was nothing we could do though.  

"I'm sorry Thor," I said.  He turned around and looked at me, confused.

"Sorry?  For what?"

"This," I said, gesturing to all the damage around us, "Your mother, everything."

"You do not need to apologize my friend!  There is still hope.  I have another plan."

"You do?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yes, the same plan as earlier just without my father's permission," he smiled at me and began walking off.  My mouth fell open in shock and I ran after him.


	6. 6

Thor and I decided to meet with Heimdall at a nearby tavern to discuss our plan and get his input. Seeing that he could see and hear everything, we didn't need to fill him in on much when he arrived. He arrived a few minutes after we did, and spotted us sitting towards the back of the small tavern, away from most of the excitement and chatter. "You were not at Odin's War council," Thor said, upon spotting Heimdall's regal form approaching us. No matter how many times I saw him, I could never get over the amount of power that he radiated.

"The Bifrost is closed by your father's orders," he responded. He took off his helmet and sat down across from us, "No one is to come, or to go."

_Damn,_ I thought,  _well, at least Odin can't send me away now._

"We face an enemy that is invisible, even to me," he continued, "What use is a guardian such as that?"

"Malekith will return, you know this."

Heimdall was silent for a moment.  
"We need your help," I said, leaning forward.

"I cannot overrule my king's wishes, not even for the two of you," he responded.  

"We're not asking you to.  The realms need their Allfather strong and unchallenged, whether he is or is not.  But he is blinded Heimdall, by hatred and by grief."

"As are we all."

"I see clearly enough," Thor said.

Heimdall clearly wanted to help us, but he warned, "The risks are too great."

"Everything we do from here on is a risk!  There is no other way," I interjected.  Heimdall looked at me and hung his head for a minute.  His golden eyes met mine and said, "What do you require of me?"

We had won!  Thor then filled him in on the rest of our plan, telling him that what we were doing was treason of the highest order.  Success would bring exile, and failure, our death, something I had grown to expect over the past events.  Of course, we told the rest of our friends our plans as well, and while they were reluctant at first, it didn't take long for us to convince them to join.  Malekith knew that the Aether was on Asgard, so he can sense its power.  He would, of course, come for it again, this time he would lay waste to all of Asgard to get it.

"We must move Jane off-world," Thor said while filling our friends in on the plan.  Sif said that the Bifrost was closed and the tesseract locked away in the Castle's vault.

"There are other ways off Asgard.  Ways only known by few," Volstagg said.

"One, actually," Thor corrected.  I looked at him, sensing the tension in his voice.  I noticed the others looking at him in disbelief and realized exactly who they were talking about.  Loki.  Thor looked at me pleadingly and asked me to accompany him while retrieving his brother.  

"I'm forbidden to even step in that hall now, Thor.  You know that."

"If you're with me, the guards will be more willing to let you down there.  It's getting him out that will be harder.  You know how to handle him the best though, so I need you to come with me and keep him under control."

I thought about it for a moment, then agreed.  If he was the only way to save Asgard, I'd do it.  When we had successfully gotten past the guards and to his cell, Thor and I had requested privacy for our meeting with him  The soldiers were very hesitant on leaving us alone with Loki, me especially, but after a bit of persuasion on Thor's part, they left.  Once they were gone, we approached the cell and peered in.  Loki appeared to be in no state of distress at all, considering he had just lost his mother.  He smiled mischievously at us, and I felt no warmth when he looked at me.

"Thor, (y/n), after all this time and now you come to visit me!" he said, walking towards us and hissed, "Why?  Have you come to gloat?  To mock?  To break my heart further?"  His green eyes flicked to me, and I could see the pain they held.

"Loki enough," Thor said, moving in front of me protectively.  I moved him aside though, I could tell this wasn't the real Loki.

"No more illusions," I said quietly.  Loki looked at me, sadness filling his emerald eyes.  He bowed his head and began dissolving.  The entire room had erupted into chaos, furniture was tipped over and cushions were torn.  Berries and fruits that had been brought to him were scattered across the floor and smashed.  Then my eyes landed on Loki and a small lump formed in my throat.  Loki sat at the opposite end of the room, slouching against the wall.  His foot was cut and bleeding, and his normally well kept raven hair was in disarray.  His face had a broken expression and he stared at us in defeat.  

"Now you see me my dear."

Thor and I moved to the wall of the cell he was closest to.  

"Did she suffer?" he asked me quietly.

"No," I reassured him, the lump growing larger as I remembered Frigga's death.

Thor interrupted me however, and said, "We did not come here to share our grief."  I shot a glare at him, but decided not to say anything.

"Instead we offer you the chance of a far richer sacrament."  Something in Loki's eyes changed, and he told Thor to go on.  

"I know you seek vengeance as much as we do.  You help us escape Asgard, and we will grant it to you.  Vengeance.  And afterward, this cell."

I stared at Thor, wide eyed.  This was not part of the plan he had told me of.  Sure, I was happy that Loki would be free again and we could start anew, but it wasn't something I had expected.  Loki smiled disdainfully and began snickering.  We stared at him in confusion.

"Oh you must be truly desperate to come to me for help!" he sneered, "What makes you think you can trust me?"

"I don't," Thor interrupted, "She and mother did."  he gestured to me and I looked at Loki, who was staring at me with an unreadable expression.

"But you should know that when we fought each other in the past, I did so with a glimmer of hope that my brother was still in there somewhere.  That hope no longer exists to protect you.  You betray me, and I will kill you."

I stared in shock at Thor.  Kill Loki?  Would he really kill Loki?  I glanced back at him to see his reaction, and was stunned to see him smiling dangerously again.  "When do we start?" he sneered. 


	7. 7

Thor smiled disdainfully and unlocked his cell.  Loki walked out cautiously, making sure it wasn't a trap and there weren't any hidden guards.  When he deemed it safe, he stepped out completely and walked over to us.  He stood in front of me and I resisted the urge to hug him tightly, considering he likely thought I had betrayed him.  Thor had his brother create another illusion to make it appear as if he hadn't left, and he did so with ease.

"Now, how do we get him out of here?" I asked.

"Easy," Thor said, "Loki, can you still shape-shift?"

"Yes, but not for long periods of time.  Since I've been stripped of my magic, it takes more energy to do tricks like that.  The more complicated the thing I turn into, the less time."

"Turn into a ring then.  (Y/n), you will wear him around your finger, the guards will not suspect a thing and he will go by unnoticed."

We nodded and Loki turned himself into a simple, rose gold band with a single pearl in the middle.  "I expected an emerald," I smiled, "considering green seems to be your favorite color."

To anyone who didn't know what was going on, I likely looked insane talking to a ring.  Thor and I left quickly, and made it past the guards without a single one batting an eye.  He sent me to Loki's chambers so that he could wash himself before we left.  An odd idea coming from Thor, since I hadn't thought he would care about how his brother looked while busting out of Asgard.  As soon as I had gotten to his room and closed the door behind me, he shape-shifted back into himself and collapsed on his bed, breathing heavily.

"That took much more energy than I had expected," he said between pants.

"Sorry," I replied.

"And, about the ring, I thought pearl would look best on you."

"Oh," I said, blushing a bit, "Thanks, I guess!"  I helped him back to his feet and ushered him into his bathroom, telling him to hurry up since we didn't have much time.

"A bit eager are we dear (y/n)?"

I blushed at the insinuation and told him to shut up and clean himself already.  He chuckled and closed the door behind him.  The water turned on not long after and I slumped on his bed while I waited for him to finish.  I had never been in his room before, and wasn't surprised to see that the main color scheme was black, green, and gold.  His walls were made of jade and had veins of gold creeping through the stone.  The comforter was a bit darker than the walls, and had black pillows at either end of the bed.  The smell in his room was a bit surprising though.  I had imagined that it would smell like men's cologne, kind of like the kind my father would always wear, but instead it smelled  like sandalwood, and a hint of vanilla.  An odd yet pleasing mixture that surprisingly embodied him perfectly!  It smelled so good in fact, that it was nearly intoxicating.

Loki was out of the shower and dressed to his liking a few minutes later, and we left.  Thor was waiting for us in the hall outside of his room, and we began making our way through the castle to get to the Harrow ship.  "This is so unlike you brother," Loki said as we walked, "So clandestine.  Are you sure you wouldn't rather just punch your way out?"

"If you keep speaking he just might," I warned, giving him a scornful look.  His brows furred at me but he shut his mouth.

"Fine, as you wish, I'm not even here."  Loki dissolved into green light and became one of the royal guards.  "Is this better?" he asked.

"It's better company at least."

"Still, we could be less conspicuous," Loki turned Thor into Sif.  I couldn't help but snicker at the sight.  Thor gave me a questioning look, but continued walking.

"Mmm, brother, you look ravishing!"  Ouch.  That stung a bit.  Thor shot him a confused glare and looked down at his clothes, realizing that there were a pair of breasts that weren't originally there.

"It will hurt no less when I kill you in this form," he said, his deep voice ever present, and I couldn't help but stifle a laugh!  

"Very well, perhaps you prefer one of your new companions given that you seem to like them so much!" he turned into Captain Rogers and I stared at him in shock.  "Oh this is much better!  Ooh.  The costume's a bit much.  So tight!  But the confidence!  I can feel the righteousness surging!" he turned to walk in front of Thor with the shield held out in front of him, "Hey wanna have a rousing discussion about truth?  Honor?  Patriotism?" I could tell Thor was getting frustrated with Loki's antics, and so was I, "God bless Amer-"

Thor grabbed him and shoved him against a nearby column, clearly fed up with him.  Loki turned back into himself and Thor covered his mouth until he knew he would stop fooling around.

"What?" Loki asked.  Only a few meters away, a pair of guards were patrolling the halls, and we froze.  "You could at least furnish me with a weapon," Loki said when they were gone, "My dagger, something!"

Thor rolled his eyes and handed Loki a small knife.  As much as I cared for Loki, a knife was the last thing I would trust him with.

"At last," he said, "A little common sense!"  He unsheathed the knife, but he frowned suddenly.  He glared down at his wrists and held them up, they were cuffed.  I stifled another laugh, not as well this time, and Loki glared at me.

"And I thought you liked tricks!" Thor said, grinning.  He handed me an extra sword and shield, and Loki scoffed.  I strapped the shield to my back and smiled teasingly at him, earning me and eye roll.  He continued to glare at the two of us still as we made our way to the first meet point.  I could tell he was still a bit pissed when we joined the others a few minutes later.  Sif and Jane made their way down the hall towards us, and as soon as she saw Loki, I could tell she was livid.

"You're-" she began saying.

"I'm Loki.  You may have heard of me-" she cut him off with a hard smack across the face.  I jumped a bit, startled by the sudden and harsh action.

"That was for New York," she spat.  Loki looked back at us, smiling.

"I like her!" he said.

While Thor and Sif discussed what to do next, Loki leaned in a bit closer to me.

"That did hurt quite a bit, actually," he whispered.

"Yeah, well, you deserved it," I replied.  I glanced at his cheek and saw that a bright red hand print was very evident on his face, and inwardly cringed.  There were voices down the hall, and we turned to face them.  Guards, and there were lots!  _Oh shit,_ I thought as they started running for us.  
"Guys, I think we should go, like right now!" I said, smacking Thor's arm to get his attention

"I'll hold them off," Sif said, "Take her."

Thor thanked her and we ran off, letting Sif defend us as much as she could.  Before Loki turned to leave though, she held her sword to his throat and threatened him so that he wouldn't betray Thor.  He snickered and said it was good to see her too, then turned and joined me by my side to make our escape.  We finally arrived at the large crashed harrow ship in the throne room, where Volstagg was waiting for us.

"Hello my friend!" I greeted him cheerfully as we approached.  No matter what situation we were in, it always seemed nearly impossible for me to be upset around him.

"Lady (y/n)!  It's good to see that you all have made it here safe so far.  I will give you as much time as I can."

"Thank you my friend," Thor said.

We made our way onto the ship, but again, Loki was stopped, and I waited for him by the entrance.

"If you even think about betraying him..." I heard Volstagg begin in a low, threatening voice.

"You'll kill me?  Evidently there will be a line," Loki replied.  Volstagg turned to me and told me to keep him under control.  I agreed, and said I'd try to the best of my ability.  Then he reluctantly let him go and we got into the ship, mindful of the broken parts that lay strewn about the floor.  The helm wasn't very big, and there was a small, raised platform towards the front.  Thor stood on it and looked around for anything that might turn the ship on.

"I thought you said you knew how to fly this thing," I said, a bit stressed when nothing worked.

"I said, 'how hard can it be?'"

Thor continued to grow increasingly more frustrated when none of the buttons would work.  My panic began rising when I heard the soldiers outside, beginning to fight Volstagg.  He sounded like he was fending them off well, but for how long he could keep that up, I did not know. 

"Well, whatever you're doing brother I suggest you do it faster."

"Shut up Loki."

"You must have missed something," I said.

"No, I didn't.  I'm pressing every button on this thing."

Thor kept smacking buttons on the control panel and nothing worked.

"No, don't hit it," I said, trying to get him to calm down, "Just press it gently!"

"I am pressing gently, it's not working!" Thor shouted, only getting angrier.  He smacked the panel again and a loud whirring sound filled the helm!  We looked around in awe that Thor's frustrated hits had worked.  The engine started and we flew off, those of us not controlling the ship fell back a few feet.  Thor was not a good driver how ever, and nearly took out every column in the building while trying to turn around!  Loki used this as the perfect timing to tease his brother, and earned a harsh shut up.  Thor fired up the engine again and we burst through the walls and outside, finally out of the palace!  We weren't completely safe yet though, as there would be more soldiers coming after us in ships of there own, and Thor wasn't the best at flying ships.

"Look, why don't you let me take over?" Loki offered, "I'm clearly the better pilot!"

"Is that right?  Well, out of the two of us, which one can actually fly?"

Loki was quiet, and I chuckled.  He shot a glare at me but I ignored him, and began paying more attention to Jane who seemed to be in bad condition.  

"Jane?  Are you alright?" I asked her, laying a hand on her shoulder to steady her.  She fainted and I caught her just in time, then laid her on the floor gently.  

"Oh dear.  Is she dead?"

"Loki now is not the time for your smart ass comments," I scolded him, "She's okay Thor, she just fainted."  The worried look on his face didn't go away, but he turned his attention back to flying.  Something hit the side of the ship soon after, and Thor began losing control.  In order to avoid the other shots fired at us, he swooped to close to another building and took the top off.  Loki opened his mouth to make another snarky comment, but Thor cut him off.  "Not a word," he growled.  Three flying skiffs were on our tail now, and Loki made no hesitation to point it out.  

"Now they're firing at us," he said, as the skiffs began attacking the ship.

"Yeah, thank you for the commentary Loki, it's not at all distracting!"

We flew towards a tunnel and as we made our way in, one of the wings of our ship sliced through the neck of a large statue of King Bor, successfully cutting his head clean off.

"Well done, you just decapitated your grandfather!"

Finally, we exited the city and began flying over the water towards the edge of the land.  There were more skiffs following us now, and the panic in the small helm was rising steadily.  Finally, fed up with the absurdity of our plan, Loki spoke up.

"You know, this is wonderful.  This is a tremendous idea!  Let's steal the biggest, most obvious ship in the universe and escape in that!  Flying around the city, smashing into everything in sight so everyone can see us.  It's brilliant, Thor!  It's truly brilliant!"

I gave him a warning look, but Thor was already done with Loki's attitude, and kicked him out of an opening in the ship.  I looked at Thor, absolutely appalled that he did that.

"Please tell me that Fandral followed through with the plan and I don't have to abort to save his ass."

"Trust me," he said, picking up Jane, "Jump."

"I'm going to kill you if I die Thor."

He stood in the opening, facing me and smiled as he stepped back off the side.  I gulped, and took a running leap off the ship, screaming as I fell.  I landed on something hard with a loud thud and groaned in pain as sharp pains shot up my legs like needles.  "Ah!  So glad you could join us lady (y/n)!" a familiar voice greeted me.  I looked up and saw Fandral grinning down at me as he piloted a skiff of his own.  I smiled at him, relieved that I hadn't fallen to my death, and helped Loki to his feet.  Fandral chuckled as he staggered a bit, even with my help.  Fandral watched us and I could see a hint of jealousy in his eyes.

"I see your time in the dungeons has made you no less graceful, Loki!"

Loki ignored the comment and looked back up at the harrow ship which veered to the right towards a mountain range, the skiffs following close behind.  "You lied to me, I'm impressed," he said, glancing at Thor.

"I'm glad you're pleased.  Now, do as you promised.  Take us to your secret pathway."

Loki took the tiller and grinned with genuine glee.  We veered the the right, just above the water.  Unfortunately, we caught the attention of another skiff, and they began firing at us.  Loki steered us wildly to avoid the lazer-fire, and brought us up higher, in line with a small opening between a pair of large rocks jutting out of the water.

"Fandral," Thor said, inadvertently asking him to help us.

"Right, for Asgard."  He grabbed a rope and swung off the side and onto the skiff below us, distracting the soldiers on there long enough for us to make our escape.  I looked back at the rocks Loki was steering us towards, and began realizing that the crack he would have us fly through was too small for us to fit in!

"Loki," I said, my voice heavy with panic.

"If it were easy, everyone would do it."

"Are you mad?!"

"Possibly."

"I'm starting to reconsider my feelings for you."

He steered us into the crack and fell over when we hit one of the walls.  Iridescent crystals began covering the walls the farther in we flew, and as we whizzed by, they began glowing, much like the Bifrost.  I watched in awe as they glowed brighter and brighter, until finally we burst though and into a completely different setting.

 

 


	8. 8

"Welcome to Svartalfheim," Loki said to me as he helped me back to my feet.  Our skiff glided over dead plains and broken cities, and I watched them go as we flew by.  Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Loki staring at Jane's still unconscious form the way a snake stares at a mouse.  I turned to face him completely, a bit unnerved by the expression on his face.  I called his name, but he didn't respond for a while.  Finally he glanced at me, then back at Jane and said, "What I could do with the power that flows through those veins."

His eyes had a blue tinge to them and a chill ran down my spine.  "It would consume you," I said.  He looked back at me and his eyes became a bit greener.

"She's holding up alright.  For now."

"She's strong in ways you'd never know," Thor said.  He sat by Jane protectively, sensing Loki's hostility.

"Say goodbye."

"Not this day."

"This day, the next, a hundred years, it's nothing.  It's a heartbeat.  You'll never be ready," Loki said, then almost inaudibly to me, even though I stood right next to him, he said, "and neither will I."  I caught his eye and he looked away.  They had both fallen in love with people who would die long before them.  

"The only woman whose love you prized will be snatched away from you," he continued.

"Will that satisfy you?  What of (y/n)?  You think that won't happen to you either?"

"Satisfaction is not in my nature."

"Surrender is not in mine."

"The son of Odin..." Loki snarled.  I backed up from the two brothers warily.  There was about to be a fight.

"No, not just of Odin."  Thor stood up and took a step towards Loki, "You think you alone loved Mother?  You had her tricks but I had her trust."

I raised my hands to try to separate them and told them to calm down, but I was pushed aside with ease and ignored.

"Trust?" Loki hissed, "Was that her expression?  Trust?  When you let her die?"

"What help were you in your cell?"

"Guys!" I said, louder this time, but still no reaction.

"Who put me there?  Who put me there?!"

Thor lunged at Loki and knocked him back, "You know damn well who!"

Thor raised his fist but I caught him before he made any impulsive decision.  
"STOP!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, "Please!  Both of you lost your mother!  If anyone here is to blame for her death, it's me!  Not either of you.  Stop finding reasons to kill each other.  You're brothers so for god's sake act like it!"

Thor gently pulled his fist from my grip and lowered it, avoiding my gaze.  I looked at Loki and he avoided meeting my eyes too.  Loki walked back to the tiller and took control of the skiff again.  Thor walked back to Jane and stood by her, his back facing us.

"She wouldn't want you two to fight," I said after a few minutes of silence.

"Well she wouldn't exactly be shocked," Loki said, his expression lightening.  I could see Thor smile a bit too, and I breathed a sigh of relief.  

"I wish I could trust you," Thor said, sadness evident in his voice.  He turned his back to us but Loki continued to look at him with an expression that resembled regret.  Under his breath, I heard him say, "Trust my rage."

Our skiff was still gliding a while later, and I wondered when we would land.  It felt like hours since we had gotten there, but I had no idea how long it was really.  Out in the distance, I saw the remains of an even larger city, and Loki began steering us towards it.  Well, it wouldn't be long now until we had to face Malekith again.  I heard stirring behind me and I looked over to see Jane starting to wake up!  He eyes opened, they were a brilliant blue.  The two brothers began shifting their attention to her as well as she stood up.  Thor said her name but she didn't respond, and walked to the bow.  In the distance we could see Malekith's ark coming down through the clouds.  

"Malekith," I said, fear shooting through my body.  Loki rested a comforting hand on my shoulder, but I didn't completely calm down.  We landed a few minutes later and climbed to the top of a nearby hill, watching as the ark touched down and a group of dark elves and the creature I now knew as Kurse stepped off.  I narrowed my eyes at them as they walked across the land towards where we stood, and Thor turned back to face us.

"All right, are you ready?" he asked.  We nodded and he put on a brave smile.  He was scared though, we all were.  There was so much at stake with our plan, so failure was not an option.  Thor and Loki stepped away from us to speak, leaving me alone with a clearly petrified Jane Foster.  I laid a hand on her shoulder and she jumped, but calmed down once she realized it was just me.

 "Hey, just me!" I said, smiling reassuringly, "Don't worry, I'm terrified too."

"I have no idea what's going to happen.  Are we even sure Loki won't betray us?" I must have looked a bit hurt because she turned a bit pink and said, "Sorry, didn't mean to offend you.  Again."

"It's fine, he has a reputation for it.  But no, he won't betray us, trust me."

We turned back to face the brothers just as they finished speaking.  Thor uncuffed Loki, and he got an evil grin on his face.  He stabbed Thor with a knife he had hidden in his coat and flung his brother down the hill.  

"Thor!  No!" Jane screamed.  I knew it was just part of the plan, but Jane did not, and she tried to run down the hill after him.

"Do you really think I cared about Frigga?  About (y/n)?  About anyone?!  All I wanted was you and Odin dead at my feet!" he snarled as he made his way down the hill.  I made my move to try to stop him, but he used his illusions to make it appear that he had stabbed me as well, and I dropped to my knees, clutching my stomach.  It was quite a dramatic performance, but I tried my best to make it seem as realistic as possible.  I watched from my spot at the base of the hill as Thor held out his hand to summon Mjolnir, but Loki made it appear that he had cut his brother's hand off.  He grabbed Jane and she screamed, then dragged her with him to Malekith.   _Be careful,_ I thought, hoping he could still hear my thoughts.   _Don't worry my dear, I have no intention of failing you,_ his voice responded, and I smiled.

 _It's not me you'd be failing._   "Malekith!  I am Loki, of Jotunheim, and I bring you a gift!"  Loki threw Jane to them and she fell by their feet.  "I only ask for one thing in return.  A good seat from which to watch Asgard burn!"

Malekith and Kurse spoke to each other briefly, deciding on what to do.  Once they stopped, Malekith walked over to Thor.

"Look at me," he said.  He nudged Thor over with his foot and looked at his amputated arm.  Malekith raised his own, and we watched as Jane was lifted into the air and Malekith began draining the Aether from Jane.  When it had completely left her body, Jane fell to the ground, leaving the Aether floating above us.

"Now!" Thor shouted, and we began following through with the rest of our plan.  The illusion on Thor's hand disappeared and he summoned Mjolnir.  Loki and I leapt over Jane to shield her as Thor tried to destroy the Aether.  To our horror, nothing happened to it and Malekith began drawing the Aether into himself.  He began Departing to his ship, and we tried frantically to stop him.  Kurse threw a black hole grenade at us, and Loki pushed Jane out of its range.  By doing so, he got himself caught in it and it began pulling him in!  I grabbed his wrists to try to help him and Thor destroyed it, saving both of us.  After he was sure we were safe, he flew after Malekith to stop him from getting on his ship, but was easily knocked away by Kurse as if he were a fly.  Kurse ran after him and they began fighting.  While they fought, the ark flew away and became invisible, allowing Malekith to successfully escape.  I screamed in rage as they left.  A group of Dark Elves began surrounding me and Loki, and this time I was more than ready to fight back. 

Despite my previous beliefs, Loki was an extremely skilled fighter, and ended up helping me out more than I did him!  He was quick and agile, and moved around the elves quickly and smoothly, killing each one of them, occasionally stopping to attack one that I was fighting.

"Come on, I can handle myself too you know," I said as he took out another elf I was fighting.  He frowned at me as a parent would to there child and I rolled my eyes.  Thor's shouts could be heard behind us and we turned around to see him doing miserably.  Kurse was much stronger than we had hoped, apparently, and was tossing Thor around like a rag doll!  Loki and I ran to his aid, hoping that we could possibly help out a little.  I leapt off a large rock behind Kurse and ran my sword through his chest.  The large creature huffed in pain and faced Loki.  Before we could react, Kurse grabbed Loki by the shoulders and yanked him forward, impaling his chest so far that the tip of my sword stuck out his back.

"NO!" I screamed, and ran over to him as he was thrown off.  Loki's back was arched and his face contorted in pain as I knelt by him.  A loud beeping sound filled the air, and it got faster and faster.  I whipped around, my eyes wide and fearful as I recognized the sound as a black hole grenade.  However, it wasn't in Kurse's clawed hand like I had thought, but rather attached to his belt! 

"See you in hel, monster!" Loki spat.  The grenade exploded and I shielded Loki as the blast imploded, taking Kurse with it.  Loki began panting heavily when I pulled away from him, and I pulled him onto my lap.

"No, no, no," I said, tears streaming down my face.  Thor ran over to us and knelt down beside me.

"You fool you didn't listen!" he said, his eyes  glistening as well.

"I know, I'm a fool, I'm a fool," he tensed up in pain again and I brushed the raven hair out of his paling face.

"Come on, stay with us, please," I begged.

"I'm sorry, (y/n), I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"Ssh, ssh, it's okay, it's alright!  You'll be okay," my tears were streaming harder now.  He stopped shaking and grew calm, his skin a pale ashen color, "I love you, please forgive me."

"I'll tell father what you did here today," Thor's voice was tight.

"I didn't do it for him."

He stilled and fell limp in my arms.  "Loki?" I said, my voice just barely louder than a squeak, "No. No, no no NO!"  I clutched him closer to me and cried into his chest, hard.  He was gone.


	9. 9

Jane ran over to us and spotted me cradling Loki in my arms, tears still streaming down my face. She said nothing, only watched us as we grieved. I could hear a storm approaching in the distance, but I didn't care. "(Y/n), we must go," Thor said, realizing that the storm could prove to be dangerous for us. He gently pulled me away from Loki's body and guided me in the direction he felt would keep us safe. "We'll come back for him, right?" I said quietly, my voice hoarse from crying so hard. My tears had since dried and I felt numb and empty.  
"Of course," he said, "He deserves a hero's burial."  
I sniffed and nodded, but stopped following him for a second. I took off the (f/c) cloak and laid it on Loki like a blanket. "This way I'll be able to find you," I said, and planted a soft kiss on his pale forehead, then ran back to join Thor and Jane. We said nothing throughout our entire trek across Svartalfheim, I suppose there was nothing  _to_ say.  We had lost.  Malekith now had the Aether and would use it to bring eternal darkness.  We had  _failed._   

The storm was starting to get worse by the time we had found a small cave.  Black sand was being swept off the ground in large clouds, cutting our skin, and making it impossible to see where we were going.  Thankfully, we managed to find shelter and we made our way into a small cave to get away from the horrible storm.  "He's going to unleash it," Jane said as we got out of the storm, "Not just on Asgard, or on a star. Malekith is going to destroy everything."

"How?" I asked.  Thor spoke us as well, wanting to know how he was going to do it.  

"I saw him on Earth," she said, "Why would he go to Earth?"

"The Convergence," Thor and I said in unison, realizing what his plan was exactly.  "Oh god," I said.  The gravity of the situation was just starting to weigh on me and I knew it wouldn't be long until Malekith began destroying the nine realms.

"None of this would have happened if I hadn't found the Aether," Jane said, her voice tight.

"Then Malekith would've only possessed it that much sooner," I responded. 

"I only found it because I was looking for you," she looked at Thor.  He looked at her, sadness filling his eyes and he cupped her cheek gently, "Jane..."

"Now we're trapped here."

An odd sound began filling the cave, interrupting their conversation.  It was a song!  No, a ringtone!  Jane got a confused look on her face and looked at me, "It's not me," I said.  A look of disbelief filled her eyes and she pulled her phone out of one of her dress pockets and turned it on.

"Hello?" she said when she answered the call.

"Hi, Jane!  It's Richard," an English man's voice came out of the phone.

"Richard?  Where are you?!"

"I'm still at the office.  It's been a crazy day here today."

Thor watched her with a look of confusion and jealousy, and under better circumstances I probably would have teased him. 

"Oh my god, this is amazing," she said, holding up her phone.  Full bars of service!

"Is it?" the man, Richard, responded, "I quite enjoyed our lunch, despite never actually ordering anything."

Jane wandered around the cave more, making sure Richard kept talking the entire time.  As we walked, I noticed more and more familiar objects.  A soda can, a beer bottle, a half empty bag of chips.  Jane gasped and found a pair of keys with a Rubix cube key-chain and picked them up.  We kept walking and I recognized more objects.  They were...shoes?  Thor wondered the same thought out loud, and we kept walking.  The ground beneath us suddenly turned to gravel and pavement and I looked around, confused.  There was a seemingly abandoned warehouse standing next to us, and my heart leapt into my throat!  We were back on Earth!  Where on Earth I didn't know, but I didn't care.  Jane ran over to a slightly beat up car parked a few meters away and got in.

"This is your car, right?" I said as I climbed into the back seat.

"Yep," she said cheerfully.

"Where are we?"

"London, England!"

London?!  Despite all that had happened earlier, it appeared things might start going well for a bit.  Jane turned the engine on, and after a bit of a struggle, it finally ignited.  Thor climbed into the passenger seat and closed the door, a few pieces of the broken window falling off.  

"So who's Richard?" he said.

"Really?"

We drove off and found our way downtown.  She hadn't answered his question, so we were left to assume that she had tried moving on during Thor's disappearance.  We drove in silence for a while, until we arrived at a small apartment complex.  Jane got out of the car, and Thor and I followed her inside.  Someone saw us walking in and gave us odd looks, and I realized we must be dragging a lot of attention to ourselves in our Asgardian clothes.  Jane smiled awkwardly at the person and we climbed into the elevator.  Finally we reached an apartment, and Jane unlocked the door and let us inside.  As we walked in, another woman about Jane's age turned around from her computer and gawked at us.

"Jane!" she said, leaping up from her chair.

"Hey," she responded.

"You can't just leave like that! The whole world is going crazy.  All the stuff we saw is spreading," she eyed mine and Jane's clothes, "Did you go to a party?  Who is she?  She's pretty.  Has she been crying?"

I smiled as friendly as I could at her, considering I wasn't in the best of moods, and gave a slight nod.

"Erik?" Jane interrupted, grinning as she noticed an older man in the room.

"Jane!  How wonderful."  He got up from his desk and hugged her.  I looked away, he wasn't wearing any pants.  Only his underwear and a pressed shirt and tie, "You've been to Asgard!"

"Where are your pants?" Jane asked.  Another younger man that I had failed to notice spoke up, saying that no pants helps him think.  "Okay well I'm going to need everything you've got on this," she said, dismissing the odd reason, "All the work you've been doing on gravimetric anomalies, everything."

"Okay."

"Are you well, Erik?" Thor spoke up when Jane was done.

"Your brother's not coming, is he?" the man, Erik, asked laughing.

"Loki is dead," I said quietly, my voice still hoarse from crying.

"Oh thank god!"

I felt myself nearly explode but Thor wrapped a comforting arm around my shoulders to keep me from losing it.

"I...I meant I'm so sorry.  Who is this?"

"Loki's girlfriend," Jane called out from another room.  Erik's eyes widened and he looked at me with a mix of astonishment and embarrassment.  "Oh, I, er, I'm deeply sorry for causing you any discomfort."

"It's no problem," I replied curtly.  Jane came back a few minutes later and had us sit at her table to discuss our next moves.  "Malekith is going to fire the Aether at a spot where all the nine realms are connecting."

"Amplifying the weapon's impact," Erik finished, "For each additional world, the power will increase exponentially.  The effect would be universal."

"But the Alignment is only temporary," Thor said, "He must be in exactly the right place at the right time."

The woman I now knew as Darcy asked how we would know where that is.

"We follow the directions," Erik explained.  "This has happened before," he said, getting up and walking over to a map and laying it on a table, "thousands of years ago, and the ancients were there to see it.  All the great constructions, the Mayans, the Chinese, the Egyptians.  They made use of the gravitational effects of the Convergence, an they left us a map."

He took a pen and drew a line from the site of Stonehenge, Snowdon, the Great Orme, and other ancient landmarks until they all met up in one spot.  Greenwich.


	10. 10

"Greenwich?" the younger man, Ian, said in disbelief.

"The walls between worlds will be almost non-existent.  Physics is going to go ballistic!  Increases and decreases in gravity, spatial extrusions...The very fabric of reality is going to be torn apart!"

Thor summoned Mjolnir, and Erik excused himself to get his pants.  We had a trip to make.  In the morning, we arrived in Greenwich and drove to a university campus where we knew Malekith would arrive.  I helped Ian and Darcy unload Erik's equipment while Jane, Erik, and Thor surveyed the area.

"Focus, this is important.  We have to hammer them in all around the site, and then Jane and Erik will activate them from the tower."

"They're taped together," I realized as I pulled one of the stakes out of the car.

"Do you guys even know what these do?" Darcy said, urgency filling her voice.

"Uh, no," Ian and I shook our heads.

"Neither do I."

We ran around the campus, hammering the stakes into the ground before Malekith got there.  We didn't get many in before his Ark rippled into sight and cut through the water in front of us.  "Holy shit," I said, watching it as it came closer and closer the the university.  People began running away screaming as the Ark began cutting through the roadway towards the university's library.  Finally, the Ark stopped and Malekith came out.  Anger and grief from Loki's death roared inside me, and I would have gone after him if Darcy and Ian hadn't held me back.  The convergence was forming above us, and I knew it was almost time to attack.  Thor dropped from the sky and landed in front of Malekith.

"You needn't have come so far, Asgardian," Malekith said, "Death would've come to you soon enough."

"Not by your hand."

"Your universe was never meant to be.  Your world and your family will be extinguished!" Malekith raised his arm and the power from the Aether knocked Thor back.  He got back to his feet, and Malekith hit him again.  Darcy, Ian and I ran to a new location and began hammering in another one of the stakes while Jane went over everything with Darcy on her phone.  We could still hear Thor and Malekith fighting behind us, so we worked as quickly as we could.  We finished hammering the another one into the ground a few minutes later, and gave Jane a thumbs up to let her know we were almost done.  We ran off to join her when a group of dark elves began pursuing us.  Jane turned a dial on the remote she held and the air rippled around them, then they disappeared!  "That is awesome!  How did you do that?" Darcy cheered.

"Well, the gravitational fields interact with the weak spots between worlds, creating-"

"Oh!  Get the guy with the sword!" 

Jane turned another dial, but instead of one of the elves disappearing, the air around us rippled and we ended up in a parking lot behind the university library!

"Um, what the hell just happened?" I asked, a little disoriented.  Two Dark Elves landed on the car right next to us and we screamed.  "MOVE!" I shouted, dragging Darcy and Ian away.  They got up and chased after us, hopping over cars an other obstacles.  We rounded a corner and were convinced we had lost them, until more came around the other side.  We turned around and bolted the other way,trying to get away from them, but one of them shot at us and hit a wall, causing cement and dust to go everywhere!  Darcy and I screamed and were knocked back off our feet, as we were the closest to the blast.  A huge beast burst out from the alley way beside us and we watched in horror as it destroyed and devoured a few of the Dark Elves.  More were coming however, and Darcy and I were still flat on our backs.  There was a ringing in my head and I struggled to get back on my feet and help Darcy up as well.  We staggered a bit and I tried to pull my shield from the straps on my back, but the elves were nearly upon us, their weapons ready.  

But before they reached us, we heard Ian shout and a car was slammed down on them, killing the entire group.  "Are you alright?" he asked, the bumper of the car in his hands.  Apparently the gravity was weak here.  

"You saved our lives," Darcy said, staring in awe at him.  Ian looked down at the bumper he still held and tossed it aside.  "Yeah," a dumbfounded grin found its way on his face as Darcy walked towards him, "I guess I did!"  Darcy stopped a few inches away from him and pulled him into a passionate kiss.  I sighed and turned my back to them, "Really guys?  Right now?" the air began rippling around us, "Oh not again."  I blinked and we were back in one of the outdoor corridors of the library.

"Darcy?  (Y/n)?" Jane's voice said behind us.

"Jane!" Darcy shoved Ian off and he fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"Ian!" Erik said, giving him an odd look.

"Selvig!" he responded.

"Mew Mew!" Darcy cheered as the hammer flew by us.

"Mew...Mew?" I asked.

"She can't say the name," Jane answered.  

Dust and debris began flying everywhere, and we ran back to where the Ark stood.  Malekith stood in the center of the courtyard, his arms raised and the power from the Aether flying around him.  The ground beneath Malekith's feet began raising up, bringing him closer the the Convergence.  "We're out of time," Jane said.  She and I ran down into the street, Erik called after us but we ignored him.  The Aether was swirling up and around the Ark now, closer and closer to the Convergence, with Malekith at its center.  It began creeping into the other realms to destroy them, and I hoped Jane had a plan.  Erik had caught up to us now, and we ran through the streets towards the Ark.  We rounded a corner and spotted Thor looking up at the Aether in horror.

"Thor!" I called out, getting his attention.  He turned to face us and we jogged up to him.

"We're too late," Jane said, joining his side.

"The Convergence is at its peak," Erik said, holding a few of the stakes we hadn't hammered into place.  Thor looked at the stakes, and I could tell he was planning something.

"Can those things stop him?" he asked.  

"Not from here."

"We can't get close enough," Jane added.

"I can," he said.  I looked at him in disbelief.

"No, Thor, you can't go in there you could die," I said, grabbing his arm.  "Then help me," he said.  I frowned, but after thinking about it for a bit, I agreed.  Erik gave us the stakes and we ran into the Aether to find Malekith and stop him.  It was unbearably windy inside of it, and pieces of dust, debris, and likely the glass-like shards of the Aether cut my skin as we made our way through.  We found Malekith after what felt like forever, but was likely only a few minutes, and called out his name to get his attention.  He lowered his arms and turned to face us.

"Darkness returns Asgardian.  Mortal, you were a fool to join.  Have you come to witness the end of your universe?"

"We have come to accept your surrender," Thor said.  He threw one of the stakes but Malekith caught it with ease.  It began beeping quickly though, and he looked at it with confusion before it disappeared, along with his arm.  Realizing what the stakes did, I threw one as well and nailed him in the other shoulder.  He cried out in pain, and that arm disappeared as well.

"You think you can stop this?!" he shouted at me, "The Aether cannot be destroyed!"

"But you can!" I shouted back.  Thor summoned Mjolnir and we charged at Malekith.  I leapt forward and ran one of the stakes through his chest, "That was for Loki," I growled in his ear, then ran back.  Thor hit him with a large blast of lightning from Mjolnir, throwing Malekith against the ark and Thor and I backwards towards the library.  I hit my head hard against the ground and stars danced across my vision before I passed out.  When I came back to reality, my head ached and there was a ringing in my ears.  I groaned and sat up, blinking my eyes to adjust to the light.  A large cloud of dust erupted from beneath the Ark and I looked up at it, and my eyes widened.  It began collapsing and falling forwards towards us, and I staggered to my feet.  I spotted a red cape in the corner of my eye and whipped around.  Thor!  He was still unconscious!  Jane was running towards him as well, and I sprinted towards them to try to help.

"Jane!  (Y/n)!" Erik called out as I began trying to help her drag Thor out of the way.  He was impossibly heavy, so the task was nearly impossible!  Finally we gave up and Jane covered Thor with her body to act as protection, and I pulled my shield from my back for further coverage.  I knew it wouldn't save the three of us, but hopefully it would be enough to save Jane and Thor.  However, the Ark never hit us!  I peeked out from behind my shield to see why it hadn't hit us yet, and nearly dropped it!  The Ark was nowhere to be seen!

"Everybody okay?" Erik asked, lowering the remote.  I grinned at him but turned my attention back to Thor and Jane.  Thor was still unconscious, and I knelt by his head opposite of Jane.  His blue eyes flicked open and we breathed a sigh of relief.  He sat up with a bit of difficulty and Jane pulled him into a tight hug.

"Holy shit don't scare me like that again," she said.

"I'll try not to," he replied, kissing her cheek.  He looked at me and I smiled at him, unbelievably grateful he was okay!  If only Loki were here with us, then everything would be absolutely perfect.

 


	11. 11

A few days later, Thor and I went back to Asgard to speak with Odin, who, surprise surprise, was not in the least bit happy that we had gone against his orders. However, when we got there, he didn't seem very upset in the least! Although, we didn't see him immediately. Actually I didn't see him at all! Instead, I stayed a few days by Thor's request and packed my bags. Sif trained me a bit every day, but she mostly left me alone after she heard about Loki's death. The entire kingdom had heard about it, but whether or not they were upset I couldn't tell. They hadn't seemed to react at all. One soldier was assigned to follow me around still though, apparently I still wasn't trusted. On my last day, I walked out to Frigga's memorial with a bouquet of calla lilies as a gift.

"Good afternoon my queen," I said to the marble statue, "We won, your sons and I defeated Malekith and saved the nine realms!"

I was quiet for a minute, as if waiting for a response. Of course, none came, but it still felt like the polite thing to do. "Of course it came with a price. I'm sure you already know what it is, or rather who it is.  Thor sent a recovery team to find him so that we can have a proper burial.  I'm sorry I couldn't keep him or you safe.  I hope I can make it up to you somehow."  I laid the lilies on the pedestal her statue as mounted on and turned to go back to my room to finish packing.  Since this was my last day, I didn't have much else to put away, so I spent most of my time cleaning.  Sif and the Warriors Three stopped by my room a bit later to wish me goodbye, and I wished them luck on their future adventures.  Fandral pecked me on the cheek before he left, and while I was very annoyed, I brushed it off.

"I hope your next visit isn't nearly as eventful as this one," Volstagg laughed, pulling me into a bone crushing hug.    
"Volstagg...can't...breathe!" my voice was muffled by his large beard, so I was afraid he wouldn't hear me.

"Oh!  Sorry my friend, didn't mean to crush you."  He set me down and I held back the urge to gasp for breath.  

"Lady (y/n)?" guard said from my doorway after the others left.

"Yes sir?"

"The Allfather requests your presence."

I sighed.  Odin was the last person I wanted to see right now.  "Tell him I'll join him in a bit."

"He wants to speak with you now."  

"Alright, I'll come then."  Annoyed, I followed the guard to the throne room.  Odin was waiting for me and sitting proud on the throne when I walked in.  The guard that had escorted me waited by the door until Odin dismissed him.  I watched him leave with an almost pleading look on my face.  The door closed behind him and I sighed, then knelt and crossed my arms in proper salute to the Allfather.

"You may rise child."

I stood back up and looked at Odin with a cold look on my face.  "With all due respect Allfather," I said, "if you have called me to your presence to tell me about the crimes and other terrible things Loki has done, or that he will not be getting a proper burial, I would greatly appreciate it if I may take my leave and return home."

"I have not called you here for that alone.  You may not leave until I dismiss you, is that clear?"

"Yes, Allfather," I tried my hardest not to sound too hateful.

"Why do you care so much about my son?  It is clear to you that he is a criminal, and I am sure he has, or at least tried to, harm you before."

"There is more to those crimes than you know.  However, he told me not to tell anyone about those secrets, so I shall honor the dead and keep that promise I made to him."

"You are too kind to him.  You are certain of your feelings for him?"

"Yes, I am.  Nothing, and no one can ever convince me otherwise.  Is that all you wanted to speak to me about?"

"No, please close your eyes."

I sighed in annoyance, but did as I was told.  I could hear him get up from his throne and walk towards me, although the more he walked, the lighter his footsteps sounded.  They sounded brisk and light, and had a slight bounce to them as well.  The sound confused me, Odin never sounded so...youthful when he walked.  I heard him stop in front of me, and a cool, slender hand stroked my cheek.  I jumped, Odin's hands were NOT that slender!

"You can open you eyes now my dear."  THAT WAS NOT ODIN'S VOICE.  My eyes flew open and I stifled a scream when I saw the man standing in front of me.  Loki.

"Y...you're alive!" I gasped, a lump quickly forming in my throat, "How?!  I saw you die!  I-I held you, you were cold!  And limp!  And my sword, how-?"  Tears began spilling down my cheeks heavily and Loki pulled me into a hug and began rocking back and forth gently and running his hands through my hair.  I cried into his chest and listened to his heartbeat, making sure he was real and this wasn't some sick joke.

"Did you mourn me?" he asked when I had calmed down.

"Yes of course I mourned you, you fool!"

He laughed quietly and kissed the top of my head.  "Please don't EVER do that again, okay?" I said, my face still buried in his chest.  "Of course my dear."  I looked up at him and pulled him into a kiss.  He melted into it quickly and gently brushed away the tears on my cheeks.  "You promise?" I asked when we broke apart.  "I promise."

"Good." 

 We stood together like that for a while until I realized someone was missing.  "Loki?"

"Yes my dear?"

"Where's Odin?"


End file.
